Our House in the Middle of Our Street

Every year I type out a list of 10-20 items that I want to complete in the year. Some are silly, some are big, some are (potentially) life-changing, but they are written here, and written in my journal at home that I use near-daily, so they are around and 'out there'. It helps keep me accountable to plan intentionally our weekends, fitting things in I want to make space for, whether they're an afternoon roller-skating or following a specific way of eating for 30+ days. If it matters to you, make space for it.  People ask me how I accomplish so much, and I *know* it's because I plan ahead of time, and am intentional about putting it on the calendar weeks, if not months in advance. Maybe once in a blue moon it's days in advance. Having the life you want takes a lot of work and a lot of thought, it doesn't happen by chance. How few things in your life that you're proud of, that you worked hard for, just fell into your lap? Yeah, I can't think of very m...

view from the top of Salt Spring Island, BC I always love making an intentional list for the year ahead, but as I've been reflecting on the past year in my personal time, along with reflecting on our past half of our homeschooling year thus far, I've staretd to jot some 'things' down for this year as in years past, but I haven't been able to fill up the whole list and I have no idea why.  Maybe it's that I don't feel I have the brain space, maybe because it's nearly Feb. 1st already and I'm feeling behind already, or maybe it's because I just haven't let it sit and stew enough. That's ok. I'm learning to just go with it. I have about half.  I add to my list in my bullet journal, I more than likely won't remember to edit this post but (shrug), Oh Well. Such is life!  19 in 2019 (or, ahem, a few less) 1) Watch Lo & Behold technology docuseries with Lukka. We watched Cosmos last year and that was a wonderful ex...

looking into 2019 like Yes, I totally used this photo at the beginning of the year, too, but I love it. It represents looking forward, of course, at the year to come, but also a great reflection of what happened within a year that just passed.  There is nothing special about New Years to me, aside from the fact that I have, at one time in my life, been a big List Person. As the kids grow up and our days get fuller, them going this way and that, it becomes imperative that I write down some sort of tangible activities we can do together (or I can do on my own!), and experiences I want to be intentional about getting to. Science says writing things down means they are more likely to happen.  Even if I only get to half my list-half is better than zero any day! So, here's my 2018 list, and here's what actually happened :  I tried to make an honest effort to be in more photos as opposed to being the one always taking them. I made Stefan do more selfies wit...

Ani and I reading a giant comic book at the MOHAI about the uses of technology September was a great book reading month, though I really really wanted to finish the final Harry Potter book, but alas, we're not even half way through it yet. I have one book club pick left this calendar year that I have yet to read, but reading 2 early was really helpful for me-so I could sort of 'get them out of the way' (even though I really liked them!) and go back to my own picks. I hope to do that in the Spring, as well, and not wait and read them in the month we meet. The two I finished this month were excellent picks, so that helped as well. Looking ahead to my calendar I think I'll have a decently slower-paced Fall than I did last year. The kids have a lot of lessons early on (late September through October) but our evenings are very free October-December; which I'm thankful for. Educated by Tara Westover - Ok friends, if you never pick of any my recommendations fro...

my rendition of Bookhou's punch-needle project from The Crafter's Box May was a very short reading month. The finishing of various kid-related activities, finishing 'formal' school stuff along with our portfolio, and traveling for three weeks in my (and the kids') home state of Nebraska. We had a fantastic trip: so many activities with both sides of the family, field trips all over, and tons of friend time and 'vacation' activities. You can see more HERE   on my Instagram feed.  The kids and I did happen to finish a massive tome in May, but thank goodness, June has turned out better! Here's the books: MAY * Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix by J.K. Rowling -  It's funny, this used to be one of my least favorite HP books of the 7 book series. I distinctly remember calling it "filler" to a friend who wanted to know how I liked it. Although there is a LOT of backstory in #5, it is certainly one of my favorites thus fa...

looking into Vancouver from Jericho Beach I first saw this type of list from Sarah VonBargen's blog Yes and Yes , and I immediately understood the practice. I'm pretty sure I've been doing lists in this vein for at least 6 years on the blog, and I love it. Every year I leave a few blank to fill in at later dates, but here's my tentative "18 Things in 2018". What are you really hoping to do in 2018?  1) Be in More Photos (and all the moms said "preach!") 2) Getaway on the Sunshine Coast 3) Visit the Night Market in Richmond   4) Visit Britannia Mine ( completed !) 5) Go to Shop Suite during the Christmas Season (I have yet to find a worthy handmade market up here but I've heard good things about this one!) 6) Buy a better swimsuit (for the love ). 7) Visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder Homestead in De Smet with Grammy + kids. (Booked our airbnbs for #7,8!) 8) Take the kids to Ashfall Fossil Beds . Same trip as a...

a lavender cart using the honor system  My friend Susie and I tooled around a new-to-us place, Vashon Island in Puget Sound, this past weekend for a very quick (but very full!) girls' trip. Susie comes stateside once a year and I'm lucky to live close to her husband's family, so I often get a visit, too, though she's usually with her family in Nebraska. We had both heard about Vashon Island but had never been, and found really cheap accommodations through airbnb.com. I read this article and this one in preparation and rented a car, while she communicated with our hostess. It worked out brilliantly. We headed down to the Faunterloy ferry in West Seattle and got there around noon, and although we had a bit of a wait going out, the price was so cheap! Something like $20 for the two of us and our car roundtrip . We had reservations at The Hardware Store for dinner that night and very little expectations for the rest of the time. Lighthouse on Point Robinson ...

view from our airbnb overlooking the Oakanagan Lake in Kelowna, BC Two weeks ago our family was able to head up to Kelowna for the annual Christian home school conference, BC CHEC, hosted by our school, Heritage Christian . We attended back in 2015, and with this being our second time up, everyone had a bit more fun than last time since we knew what to expect. The kids had friends in their 'kids' conference' area, and were able to do fun and educational things all weekend. Stefan got a much-needed rest from work, and he took the dog on multiple hikes through the beautiful area we were staying. I got to absorb wisdom, knowledge, research, and encouragement from some lovely speakers and past homeschoolers, and do a bit of 'free shopping' for our school year coming up. Add a wonderful airbnb experience to the list and a visit with Stefan's grandparents,  and the weekend was such a nice time.  The funding I had leftover from the year was able to pay f...

across the water is YVR airport in Richmond, behind me is Terra Nova natural playground I have made a yearly list for at least the past few years* and I enjoy seeing the outcomes, or what one or two morphed into, and what just didn't interest me enough to continue. Now that it's mid-February, I need to get that 2017 list out in the open. A lot of these have to do with trips I'll be taking in 2017 and I'm super excited to check some fun things off my bucket list! What do you want to do this year?! 1) Learn to make veggie pakora and crock-pot butter chicken 2) go to Portland with the family?  3) visit Burnaby Village and ride the carousel! 4) hike in Joshua Tree National Park 5) go to the San Diego zoo 6) bike the kettle valley railway (Kelowna) 7) us GF tempura to make onion rings 8) buy a better swimsuit! 9) go to the summer Seattle Renegade Craft Fair 10) visit the Brittania Mine with the kids 11) see La La ...

This was something brand new we did early in the Spring (yikes! I've neglected this blog for a long time...) around our town, Ft. Langley, BC . There was a 2-3 week period where nearly every house in Ft. Langley, which is home to so many beautifully landscaped properties, had a 'blooming bush' in their yard. The kids and I made up an activity--go on a "blooming bush bike tour" and take photos of all the gorgeous blooms.  Most of these photos were snapped by the kids, and people, we didn't even get farther than 4 city blocks before we were done because we had taken over 50+ photos! Here are a few of our favorites, and I tried to get a good array of colors presented.  If you know which flower/bush it is, leave it for me in the comments (and describe the photo/color of flower so we can know which is which). 

One of my kid-oriented goals this year was to take my kids to a movie. We never go to the actual theater because it's so expensive (this afternoon matinee was $30!), but it's something fun to do over the summer, and when it's very rare, it's a big treat. I had seen the trailer for The Secret Life of Pets last year and thought it looked really cute. The kids loved this movie and laughed quite a bit, though to be honest, I was a little disappointed in this movie. It wasn't nearly as funny as the trailer made it look, and the plot was only so-so. I wished I had watched this at home after it came out on DVD from the library, but the kids enjoyed the movie treat, and that's what I cared about. We enjoyed our time together. I'm here to tell you, however, to skip this one in the theaters and wait for a better Pixar or Disney movie, and watch this one at home on the couch with a bucket full of popcorn made in the microwave.  It tastes just as good. 

family shot in Salmon Arm, BC Our family lives in Ft. Langley, British Columbia. This small village is part of the lowermainland of BC, which encompasses many large cities, farmland, mountain towns, and Vancouver metro that total about 3 million people! We love living right on the Fraser river where The Fort started the province of British Columbia as a famous trading post.  My husband is from this area, and I'm from Nebraska, where our two children were born. We've lived in the Pacific Northwest for almost 4 years (we lived in Blaine, WA, while I finished my immigration work while my husband commuted across the border every day to work in Canada), and in BC for two.  Here in Langley, we have a fantastic homeschooling community, and my children Lukka, 9, and Ani, 7, spend many of their days riding bikes through town, going to the library, playing with Copper, our dog, or listening to loads of audiobooks. We hike on the weekends all over 'Beautiful BC', hit t...

  peek through the trees looking at Hayward Lake  A couple weekends ago, we planned a hike. We've got to be really intentional about getting it on the calendar. The work doesn't end there. There's lunches and water for four people, researching where to go and get directions, find car items for kids if we have quite a drive, and get out the door at a decent hour before most recreational parks get too busy.  Stefan found Hayward Lake and said that it would be a walk around a lake. That sounded alright, since we hadn't been hiking hiking in over a month, but thankfully we talked to a very nice and engaging Parks worker cleaning the bathroom who told us, 'oh no, this is for the dog-walkers, if you want a hike, go to the Reservoir trail'.    Ani near the water taking a quick break with a power ball in her mouth! I'm really glad we took her advice, though it took us two tries to find it, and we happened upon the BC Hydro Stave Falls visitor cen...